A World Gone Normal
by SapphireMind
Summary: When the mutants wake up powerless, who really wants to take back what's been lost? And are people willing to take a step back to move forward? Some questionable language the reason for PG13
1. Awakenings

**Important Author's note **

Man, are some of you going to be surprised. I know I don't have many readers yet, and hopefully my current readers won't hate me for this. As I was browsing yesterday, there was someone who was writing a similar concept (both independently developed!) and we got to chatting about how we each did things. In said chat, a rather large plot hole was discovered in my story, and I'm such an anal person, I'm re-writing the whole darn thing to fix it. So...Some of the story will look VERY familiar as it stayed the same, other parts will have changed significantly. I truly think the changes that are being made will really improve the story, and I appreciate your patience with my changes! My continued thanks to Shadow-fire for his inspiration and Tyriel1 Thanks a lot for the trouble shooting and brainstorming. Check out Tyriel1's take on this, it's really good! - SapphireMind

I do not own any of the characters listed here. I wish I did, I'd be a lot wealthier. I am not intending to challenge their copyrights, just to further enjoy the stories and universe they have set forth, many thanks to the creators and their imagination to begin with!

This is my very first fanfic and I don't write much, so I would appreciate any feedback, even just to know someone is reading. It's good for my motivation to have an audience:)

So, I'm editing as I go and trying to improve the story, I hope you enjoy!

The timeline for this is basically in the middle of the Dark Horizons eps. You'll see how it ties in as it goes along. Forgive any minor errors with that ep, I can't see the new eps but rely on writeups on the webs about them. I can't wait til they are on Cartoon network too!

"Ow!"

Rogue awoke to the sound of an indignant cry of surprise and mild pain. She looked over to the source and saw Kitty, sitting on the floor, rubbing her forehead. She couldn't help but laugh as she saw the scene, drawling in her creole accent.

"Forget to phase Kitty?" Her laughter stopped though when she saw the expression on Kitty's face. "What's wrong?" She jumped out of bed to crouch down next to her.

"I didn't forget, I can't!" Fear and confusion colored Kitty's voice as she demonstrated, trying to put her hand through the door, unsuccessfully. "Why can't I? What happened?"

Rogue's face deepened into a worried frown and opened the door, calling out through the hallway to Xavier and the other students, sounding the alarm. Soon doors were opening and people were rushing to their room.

Rogue became more disturbed as there were faces she didn't recognize in the gathering crowd, she looked at Kitty in panic, who looked just as confused as she did. There were familiar faces, Jubilee, Jean, Scott, Bobby and Amara, but just as many unfamiliar faces.

"Scott? Jean? What's going on? We need to get the professor!" One of the younger unknown students sprinted off to get him while the students gathered into Rogue and Kitty's bedroom, murmuring softly.

They both stepped forward and knelt down next to Kitty, "What's wrong?" Jean looked her over, looking for signs of injury.

"I, like, can't phase!" Kitty exclaimed unhappily. "Not even like a little bit!" Jean frowned and tried to exert her telepathy to try and see what was going on in Kitty's head and gasped as she couldn't.

"Scott, my powers aren't working either." Now his face deepened with worry and the other students around them looked at the ones on the floor and seemed even more confused and the whispering increased.

Jean rushed over to the Professor as he approached the clutch students. "What's going on Professor?" Anxiety clear in her voice as she continued, "I can't access any of my powers, and it looks like no one else can either!"

Xavier's brow furrowed when he heard this, "What are you talking about Ms. Grey? Your powers?" He seemed honestly confused and Jean did a double take, her mouth open in shock, looking at Rogue, Scott and Kitty, the only other ones who seemed to understand what she was talking about. Xavier looked at Kitty, "What happened to you? I heard you were hurt, do you need someone to take you to the infirmary? Are you alright?"

Kitty looked at Jean in confusion, not sure what to say since Xavier seemed to have no idea about their powers, then just said uneasily, "I like saw this huge spider. I guess it's gone now," she continued lamely, "I'm sorry for waking everyone up." Xavier still had a frown on his face, because of Jean's 'powers' comment.

"Jean, Kitty and Rogue, before you start classes, I would like you to stop by my office so we can chat." With that, he turned to wheel off when there was a yelp of shock from one of the bedrooms, and suddenly an unknown student came running into the hall.

He was fairly tall, with auburn hair and a strong build. Once he spoke though, there was no doubt as to who he was, his german accent coloring his words. "Professor! Professor! Someone has done something to me! I'm not...ME!"

Kurt took a moment to look at the gathered students in the hallway. EVeryone's eyes widened as they looked at him and Kitty stepped forward to touch Kurt's face lightly without thinking, looking back at the Professor. "The...the fur's gone! What's happening?"

Xavier looked at Kurt, then Kitty, frowning at them all, his voice carrying some sharpness, "All of you, before classes, in my office. I want to know what exactly you are up to and why you are disturbing everyone. Now. Go back to your rooms and get ready for classes. I don't want any more outbursts." He finally left and most of the students also started to filter out, looking at the group around Kitty strangely, even Bobby, Jubilee and Amara.

Lance groaned as he rolled over in his bed, reaching over to hit the alarm clock. The snooze silenced the shrill beeping and he tried to stay asleep.

"Lance! You need to get up and get ready for school!" A female voice called to him from downstairs. Lance suddenly bolted awake, not recognizing the voice at all and letting out a cry of shock when he looked around the room he was sleeping in, not recognizing it at all either.

The room around him was a typical high school boy's room, rock band posters on the wall, clothes on the floor, a desk and computer in the corner. But it wasn't his room. He took a sharp breath in when he looked on the walls and saw pictures of himself, growing up, with his parents seeming happier than he remembered them, and pictures that seemed recent with friends he didn't recognize. "What in the hell is going on?" he murmurred under his breath.

There was a knock on the door and a head peeked in, smiling at him. "Come on honey, you need to get ready or you are going to miss Todd coming by to pick you up."

Lance looked at the woman suspiciously, rubbing his head. "Mom?" She cocked her head to the side, regarding him curiously. "You're not my mother. My mother ran out on us when I was 9!" He took a few steps back away from her.

"That is quite enough Lance. I don't know what you are up to, but you have to go to school, and I don't care what story you've come up with to get out of it! Now move young man!" He felt a surge of anger come through him and he closed his eyes and concentrated on making the ground shake and then opened them, blinking as nothing happened. He nodded to her dumbfounded, totally confused.

She walked out, closing the door behind her and Lance sat down on the bed hard, rubbing his temples. What in the hell had happened? He didn't know, but he knew that the damn X-men should know. He threw on some clothes and ran downstairs mumbling a word of goodbye to the woman who looked like his mother and hurried out the door.

Piotr woke up to have his sister pounding on the door and yelling in russian, "Piotr! Get your lazy ass up! You're going to be late for work! And I need a ride!"

Piotr couldn't help but grin and reach over and throw a shoe at the door, answering in russian. "I'm up, I'm up." Suddenly it hit him. Illyana...home? What was going on?

The door opened and she lounged in the doorway. "Yes, that's why you are still in bed. Come on. It's almost 8!" She made a face at him and then darted downstairs to finish getting ready.

Piotr rubbed his head, looking at his family's home. How was this possible? Magneto had been holding his family captive! They were acting like nothing had happened. He suddenly felt suspicious, wondering if it was a trap, exerting his will to change into metal, and shocked when nothing changed. His eyes narrowed and he looked around again, wondering what could have caused this. He threw on some clothes and went downstairs to check on the rest of his family.

"Piotr! Finally!" His mom smiled at him from the kitchen, speaking in russian as well. "I was worried you were never going to wake up. Are you ready to go? Can you take your sister to school?"

"Is everything alright Mama?" He watched her carefully for any sign of deception.

She smiled easily and chuckled, "Of course it is dear. Why would you think otherwise?"

He hid his frown and mumbled, "I don't know. Just checking." He gave her a tight hug and kissed her cheek, giving Illyana a hug and a kiss too, then taking her and dropping her off at school. He had no intention of going to any work though. He needed to find out what was happening.


	2. Finding a Way

Yay! A new review. Thanks muchly. I deleted all my old reviews when I started the story over, hopefully people will still be able to find me. Still expressing great thanks for those who inspired me to make the changes, I'm really liking the improvements.  
  
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They all dressed quickly and met back in Rogue and Kitty's room. Silence reigned for a few moments, then Kurt slowly spoke, "You all know I don't look like this, don't you." He looked at them each in turn, seeing them all nod.  
  
"So like, why doesn't this seem strange to anyone else? And what happened to you Kurt?" Kitty sounded a bit scared, "Something like majorly wrong here."  
  
Scott nodded and then looked at the group, "No one goes to classes today. We'll go talk with the Professor, then we'll all ride in Jean's car. No one say a word about powers or changes. If anyone from here asks, we were rehearsing a play and took it too far. Got it?" He slipped into his leadership role fairly easily, especially considering he was one of the oldest now. "And no one go anywhere alone. We're powerless and we don't know who did this or why."   
  
Everyone murmured their assent and then they made their way to Xavier's office, knocking lightly before opening the door. The Professor was more harsh in expression and words than the Professor they knew and loved. There was no way to address it though to him, since apparently he didn't even know about mutants.  
  
"Now. What was the meaning of this morning? You caused quite the disturbance, and what are you referring to as 'powers'?" He watched them critically, his fingers steepled.  
  
"I'm sorry Professor Xavier. This was my fault, I had written a play that the rest have been helping me rehearse and work out kinks, and I think we just got too into it." Jean spoke softly, her eyes cast down, uneasy about the whole situation.  
  
Xavier nodded and looked at them each in turn, "If that's the case, I look forward to seeing the finished work, but I do not want to be awoken by an 'emergency' caused by this play again, do you all understand?" They nodded morosely and he continued, "Alright. You need to get going to get to school in time. Dismissed."  
  
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Lance looked around nervously as he walked down the street. He watched for people who might be ready to jump him, but didn't see anyone, which made him even more nervous. What the hell was going on? When he had started showing signs of mutation, his mom hadn't been able to handle it and ran out, then his dad, who had been clean for a long time fell back into drugs and Lance had run away finally. But now his mom was home and it was like...He stopped and frowned. It was like he never started causing problems for his family.   
  
He broke into a jog, heading towards the Institute, figuring that one of them would know what the hell was going on. As he jogged, he suddenly saw a rustling in the bushes ahead.   
  
"Pssst. Lance! Hey Lance!" The voice was low and whispering, then out stepped Toad, but a normal looking Toad, no hunched back, skin was a normal tone.   
  
Lance stopped and stared. "Toad?? What in the hell is going on!" Toad seemed relieved by his reaction.   
  
"I was hoping you would know. You're the only one besides me that seems to think I'm different!"   
  
"Shit. I don't know. But I don't like it. I'm heading over to the Institute to see if they know any more than we do. But I gotta say I'm glad that someone else knows that there is something seriously wrong with all this."  
  
Toad nodded and they cautiously started to make their way towards the institute. Lance stopped though and frowned, "This couldn't be their work, could it? Some sort of plan to get rid of us? Let's think about this more before we go over there. Let's see if the Brotherhood house is empty."  
  
They switched directions and hurried to the house, to find it an old condemned building. Lance looked for anyone around, then shoved the door open with his shoulder, going in. They were in for a shock to see a surly looking blonde sitting on the floor of the building. Lance tried to cover quickly, "Uh. Sorry. We're just going now." They turned to go when a familiar gravelly toned voice stopped them.  
  
"Don't go." They both froze and turned back to look. Was that really Wanda? She could see the incredulity in their faces and shrugged. "I have no idea. I woke up, and suddenly I'm the next Barbie.". She seemed very unhappy about this turn of events. "Do you know what the hell is going on?"  
  
Lance and Toad sighed and sat down with her, Toad sitting very close to her, "No, but I do love what you've done to your hair sweetie. You look fabulous!" She pushed him away with a disgusted look.   
  
"No, we don't know. We were coming here to regroup for a little while." Wanda sighed and nodded, rubbing her temples as Lance spoke. "Do you have any idea what could have caused this?"  
  
"Do you mean Magneto? No. I don't think it is his work. And somehow he's not my father anymore." She frowned and shrugged, "I looked through the room I woke up in and my father here kind of looks like him in the face, but it's not him."  
  
"How is the hell is this happening?" Lance muttered under his breath and saw no answers in the eyes of his teammates.  
  
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Pete directed the car through traffic and absently tapped the steering wheel as he hurried to where he last knew Remy lived. He had to find someone, anyone who could give him insight to this puzzle. He stopped the car and went to the door of the apartment building, ringing the bell that was his, and waited.   
  
Suddenly from behind him, he heard the familiar creole voice drawl, "Now what do you think you're doing there Pete?" Piotr turned quickly to face the familiar man, gazing at him dubiously.  
  
"Looking for you. I've had a very confusing morning." Pete watched for his reaction, leaning against the wall of the building. "I was hoping you could help clear it up for me."  
  
Remy seemed annoyed. "Well damn. I was hoping you could do the same for me. It used to be I had a wicked talent with the cards. But now, there is none. How does that happen? And how does no one remember my gifts?"  
  
Pete wasn't sure whether to be relieved or even more frustrated. "Alright. So there are two of us that remember that there is soemthing wrong. We must find what has happened." He paused, looking around. "Where do we go next?"  
  
A twinkle shone in Remy's eyes, "Well, I think we should go find the X-Men," Pete rolled his eyes at this, knowing Remy's weakness for a certain student, "But we should probably start with the Brotherhood. They may know how to contact Magneto."  
  
A grunt was the only reply, and Pete motioned for Remy to get into his car and they made their way towards the boarding house that once held the Brotherhood. 


	3. At First Blush

Thank you for the reviews and to Shadow-Fire. It is really inspirational to know that someone is reading and liking your work. Heart felt thanks!  
  
Typical disclaimers: I don't own much of anything, just a brain that works about half the time. Thanks for reading!  
  
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Jean buckled herself into the car, adjusting the rearview mirror and watching as everyone else squeezed into the SUV. "Alright Scott. So where are we going?"  
  
Everyone looked at him expectantly and he paused, feeling the weight of leadership suddenly. What if he couldn't hack it? There was no one else to fall back on if he screwed up. "Well. Ok. No school. But we can't go anywhere where it will be obvious we are skipping." Jean arched a brow as he spoke, waiting for him to actually decide. "Alright. The Brotherhood's boarding house. Let's see what's there now, it could be a good place to meet."  
  
"Alright. Off we go." Jean spoke as she pushed her foot on the gas pedal. She was trying to hide how much this bothered her. Despite it being a huge adjustment to hearing all the voices in her head, she felt so...alone without the voices.  
  
Kurt on the other hand had a very satisfied smile on his face. His balance was thrown a bit without the tail, but that couldn't even hold a candle to 5 fingers. Five! He wiggled them each in turn, spreading them out wide then clenching them together. His skin was a wonderful pale shade and when he looked in the mirror, he saw a handsome face, a face that he didn't have to hide from humanity. He never had experienced being so normal before. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to give it up.  
  
Rogue placed an ungloved hand over his clenched fist, squeezing it lightly, and when he looked into his sister's eyes, he could see she felt many of the same feelings as he did. His eyes slipped over to Scott, Jean and Kitty in turn. They seemed to be a little more uneasy with the changes.   
  
As they pulled into view of the boarding house, Scott absently reached up to adjust his glasses, but of course they weren't there. He had taken them off to enjoy the multicolored world, but he longed for the monochrome of red, it brought him security. He held up a hand to signal Jean to stop the car. "Hold on, I think I saw someone in the window. Jean, stay with the car. Kurt, come with me to check it out."   
  
Kurt nodded silently and they got out of the car and slipped to the building, trying to see in the windows without being seen themselves. Scott turned around the corner and as Kurt was about to follow, someone grabbed him from behind and pinned him to the ground. He struggled, not used to fight techniques with this body and realizing how heavily he relied on 'porting before.  
  
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A gravelly voice harshly whispered to him from where he was pinning Kurt's arms behind his back.   
  
Before Kurt could answer, Scott came back around the corner when Kurt didn't follow, and threw his shoulder into the attacker. The other fell to the ground with an "oomph", and then quickly scrambled to his feet.   
  
"Sommers. I should have known you guys were behind this! Who's the lackey?" Lance's eyes glittered angrily at Scott. "Figured the only way you guys could win was by disabling us?" But something bothered Lance at the back of his mind, and then he finally realized what it was. "Shit. You aren't wearing your glasses. You guys are just as screwed as we are, aren't you?"   
  
Kurt stood up brushing himself off, his german accent giving him away more than anything else. "You know about his glasses?" Lance just stared at him and Kurt looked around to see if there was anything odd behind him.  
  
"Kurt? Holy hell! What in the hell happened to you?" Lance then sighed. "Is there anyone else like you guys? Anyone who remembers?"   
  
Scott nodded, "Yeah, they are waiting in the car while we checked this place out."  
  
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Remy looked out of the window as Pete drove, fingering his deck of cards nervously. He didn't like this. He was used to being the one with the power and it pissed him off that someone was screwing with him. As they neared the Brotherhood's former boarding house, he nudged Piotr, his eyes instantly catching the flash of auburn and white that was Rogue's hair. "It looks like maybe we aren't alone in this mess. Pull over."  
  
Pete looked annoyed, "No, we're not going to show ourselves just because there's a redhead you have the hots for at the location. For all we know, she could be the reason we're powerless, this could be a trap!"  
  
Remy looked at Rogue through the car window, saw the confusion and more than anything else, the hope in her eyes and the way she was watching her hands, and most importantly that she was in a car with friends and she wasn't wearing her gloves. "No, they aren't behind it, they are just as lost as we are right now," he looked at Pete seriously, "Trust me, we should meet with the others. Otherwise we ain't never getting back to ourselves.   
  
With a muttered epithet and a groan, Pete drove the car up to park it next to Jean's SUV. The X-brats were immediately out of their car, on the defensive. Remy held up his hands in a symbol of surrender and to show that he was not a threat to them, but none of them seemed to relax. Finally, he opened the door and stepped out, casually leaning against the car and winking to Rogue, "Hello cherie. Looks like you guys are experiencing the same blackout as we are."  
  
Jean stepped forward, her gaze hostile, protective of her teammate, as Rogue just watched in silence. "Yeah, we are. I take it to mean you have no idea what's caused this?" Carefully watching their answers, looking for deception.  
  
Pete shook his head, "No. But there is something very strange going on," He looked about to continue, when Scott appeared with Lance and two unknowns. Pete and Remy moved closer together looking at the two strangers, then to Scott, "Who are they?" Pete demanded uneasily.  
  
"Relax Piotr. This is Kurt and Wanda." Scott explained. Jaws dropped all over as they stared at the perky blonde with the sullen look to her face.   
  
She got defensive and glared at everyone, "Hey, I may not have my powers but do any of you really want to piss me off? If you don't, there will be no jokes or comments about what I look like. I have no control over this!" Kurt sniggered quietly into his hand until Wanda gave him the look of death.  
  
Jean ran her hands through her hair. "Alright. So we have a group of us who are affected by the loss of powers, but we still remember having powers, which is more than most people lately. So what do we do now?"  
  
"Now we hide the cars, go inside the boarding house and try and make some plans as quietly as possible. Someone has done this to us, and we have no idea why or what they are intending to do now that we are powerless." Scott's voice was grim and Jean and Pete went to their cars to move them around back.  
  
As the rest of the group continued to the boarding house, Remy fell into step with Rogue. "So cherie, no powers. How does that feel?" His eyes sparkled with mischief, "Or I should say, how do others feel?"  
  
Rogue blushed and waved a hand dismissively, "It's not that big a deal. Stop makin' a fuss."  
  
Remy stopped, grabbing her hand and kissing it lightly, speaking quietly, "But it is a big deal, cherie. I wasn't able to proper greet you last we met. And now there is hope for a goodnight kiss that doesn't end in unconsciousness." He winked and then hurried his steps to catch up with the group again while Rogue just stood there, flushed with embarrassment and a bit of hope. She had a taste of how normal girls felt and she liked it. 


	4. Meeting of the Minds

Sorry for the delay in updates, I've had lots of real life going on. Who'da thunk 2 toddlers could eat up so much time? ;)  
  
Please see earlier chapters for disclaiming!  
  
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They all settled down into the ruined boarding house that in another world was home to the Brotherhood. Jean and Scott sat down next to each other on the floor, then Kitty was flanked on either side by Kurt and Lance, Rogue next to Kurt and Remy and Piotr next to her, arching around so they were almost in a circle. Silence reigned while they looked at one another.  
  
Finally, Scott spoke up, "Alright, we need to figure out how this happened and why. What's the last thing people remember from being mutants?"  
  
Rogue spoke up, frowning, "I...I remember getting ready for graduation." Murmurs of agreement from the other X-Men, Rogue struggling to remember more details, looking at her teammates, "I remember you all being there. Close by to me. I don't remember being able to see anyone who isn't here right now."  
  
Jean considered that, "Well, there is something that ties us together. I have similar memories, though they are hazy, but I agree, the only people I remember are here."  
  
Piotr cleared his throat and spoke up, "But what about the others? There were others who were there too."  
  
Scott grabbed a pen and notebook out of his bag, ripped out a few sheets, handing them out, "Stop, don't say anything more, everyone should just write down what they remember first. That way we don't confuse each other."  
  
"Good idea Scott, our memories can be so easily influenced." Jean took a sheet and gave out extra pens to people who needed them, quickly scrawling down her memories.  
  
Kitty wrote quickly and then grabbed another sheet of paper and sketched the stage for graduation and the general layout. She then put a x and her name for where she last remembered herself being, then put a few more Xes, with Kurt, Rogue, Scott and Jean. When she finished, she passed it on to Kurt, who looked at it silently and nodded, confirming his position and added Logan and Xavier.  
  
Scott got it next, added Magneto and the Acolytes and Mystique. He handed it to Jean, who added in Beast, Lance and Toad. Piotr frowned and changed the position of the Acolytes just slightly, adding the limo and Wanda. The rest just looked the sheet over and moved people just slightly, but they all seemed to agree on the general layout. The sheet returned to Kitty and she looked at it.   
  
One by one they recounted their memories of the event, all replaying the same moment from different perspectives. Except Rogue. She read hers and she was the only one whose memories differed significantly.  
  
"I....I don't remember real clearly." She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes nervously. When she set her hand back down on the ground, she was suprised at the hand that subtly laid itself over her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her eyes went from her hand to Remy's eyes and took a deep breath and continued. "I remember....a bright flash, being scared. And..." She pointed to several points on the makeshift diagram: Logan, Scott, Remy, Kurt and Mystique. "Only those people. They were the only ones I remember." Scott watched her speak, being suprised at the flash of envy he felt seeing Remy do that. It wasn't like he and Rogue ever had anything, he was in love with Jean, but she had always liked him, and it was unsettling to him to see her attention focused elsewhere. He reached over and held Jean's hand, to reassure himself.  
  
A voice called from the doorway, "What, you didn't remember me?" Pyro laughed as he strode into their meeting. "How did I know that if anyone knew what was going on, you'd be here. Well, that or the school. I already got kicked out of there. Lucky they didn't call the cops."  
  
Scott sounded annoyed, "Sit down Pyro. We're trying to figure out what in the hell is going on, and if you have something useful to add, feel free, otherwise, hang loose and try and catch up."   
  
Pyro opened his mouth to give a smart reply then shrugged his shoulders with a grin, "Whatever." He went to sit next to Gambit, kicking him lightly with a grin when he saw him holding Rogue's hand, whispering quietly as he slouched down to the ground, "Wasting no time I see." Remy glared at him coldly and didn't reply.   
  
Jean cleared her throat and spoke up, looking at the diagram, eyebrows furrowed. "But look. The people that Rogue remembers...they are all here. And everyone else who is here, was standing next to them."   
  
There was silence for a moment, then Kurt spoke up, "Except Mystique and Logan." He looked around to the group. "If it has to do with the people she remembers, where are they?"  
  
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"Let me out of here! I tell you, I do not belong here!" Mystique paced anxiously in her cell. She was in prison. Prison! And she couldn't shift. No one answered her cries except for a few encouraging shouts from other prisoners and a few laughs, presumably from guards.  
  
She couldn't figure it out. She was stuck in prison, she was stuck in the form of some stranger and apparently this stranger was in prison. It was hard for her to remember anything before this morning when she woke up in this jail cell. But none of this made sense. She knew she had to get out of here, but how? She couldn't shift to another form, so she'd have to think of another way out.   
  
Mystique thought about it and decided to bide her time, she didn't know who was responsible for this or whose place she had taken, so she wanted to try and find out as much as possible. "Come on! I need to talk to my lawyer!" She thought that should at least get her some info.   
  
A matronly woman walked up to her cell and sighed with exasperation. "Fine! If it will get you to shut the hell up, we'll call him. But another peep out of you, I'm putting you to sleep." The guard touched her baton menacingly.  
  
Mystique sneered with a glare at the older and heavier woman, confident she could beat her, but knew that there were others in the prison and so she just sat back down on her bunk to wait for her lawyer.  
  
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"How's he doing today Darla?" A man in a white coat looked over a chart, then down to the figure in the bed.  
  
"Well, he's been very agitated today. We've kept him pretty well sedated. I'm not sure what's bothering him." Darla looked down kindly at the man. He was normally a pleasant enough person and she loved her job.  
  
The doctor nodded. "Alright. Let me know if there are any other problems with him. We don't want him getting too upset." He patted the figure on the arm, then raised his voice to a louder tone. "It's alright Mr. Howlett, you'll feel better tomorrow."  
  
The withered old man on the bed groaned, "Xavier....Rogue.....Mystique." Then he dropped back into a snoring sleep.  
  
The doctor arched a brow and looked at the nurse, "What's that all about?"  
  
"Oh, that's what he's been mumbling about all day. Odd names. And an apocalypse. Maybe a story he read when he was younger?"   
  
The man in the white coat shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. It's impossible to tell with Alzheimer patients." 


	5. Field Trip

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet and yes I do intend on finishing this story:D 

With Cartoon Network taking Evolution off the schedule, I no longer can watch it at all, as we do not get the WB in my city. Sadly it has made it much harder for me to write without episodes to inspire me.

But, I've actually gotten some good inspiration with the X-Men dvds coming out, so hopefully the next chaps won't be so long in coming!

* * *

Mystique sat down with her lawyer, a small man with glasses that called himself Bennett. She wasn't sure if it was his first or last name. But when it came down to it, she didn't care either. She looked at her hands as he spoke, trying to discern anything she could about the body she was currently occupying. She couldn't figure out how this was happening. There was no apparent reason that she couldn't shift skins.

"They have said they will grant us another appeal, but I'm not sure what our chances are for winning it." The little man shuffled through the papers as he looked expectantly at her.

"Appeal for what? What did I do?"

He rolled his eyes, "You know, the insanity defense won't work here. No one is going to believe you are crazy."

She spoke a little more sharply, "Indulge me. What am I being tried for?"

"Smuggling, distribution, use, you name it, they have you on it." Bennett seemed annoyed with her attitude.

"Drugs?" Incredulity was apparent, "I'm a drug runner"

"Yes, and abuser. Maybe the coke fried one too many braincells."

"Maybe, I don't remember any of this." Her lawyer rolled his eyes again and sighed.

"Do you need me to provide a dossier on yourself?" His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes," She snapped angrily, "Unless I am mistaken, you are my lawyer and serving my best interests unless that has changed?" He gave her an almost sullen look and she glared harshly back. "While you are at it, I want some recent newspapers, major ones, no Enquirer or anything like that." Now an incredulous look was her response, "I'm not asking for anything major, a couple. USA Today, NY Times." After a few more words, he begrudgingly went off to get her the information she wanted. As she was led back to her cell she was relieved, soon she would at least have an inkling of whose life she was trapped in and what was possibly causing her to be frozen.

At the local library, the former mutants scoured records to look for Mystique and Logan. They were severely hampered by the lack of real names for the two of them. Kitty gnawed on a pencil anxiously as she looked through another book, then leaning back with an exasperated sigh. "Like, we're never going to find them. We don't even know who they are without, you know, like us."

There were murmurs of assent from the others, except Jean who was still deeply engrossed in her book. "Wait," She looked up as the others turned to her. "I have been looking in some records from World War Two, and I think I may have found him. Howlett, Logan Howlett." She looked at Scott and Kurt, they nodded, heading online to see what they could find about where Logan was.

Rogue scowled in the corner and Remy casually slipped an arm around her shoulder. "What's wrong cherie?" His voice went down to a smoldering whisper.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I jus..." She saw him looking at her intently and sighed. "I don't know."

He was about to delve into it deeper when Kurt let out a shout, "I found it!" Other library patrons glared at him, and he sheepishly lowered his voice. "I mean...I found him I think."

"So, spit it out already Kurt!" Kitty's voice was impatient.

He shot her an annoyed look and then continued, "1630 West Kincaid Avenue," he looked up, "That's not far from here I don't think."

"Well like, what are we waiting for, let's go get him!" Kitty was exhuberant as always. Logan may be gruff, but he was one of her favorite X-Men, he had a tender core that reminded her of a big brother she never had.

They quickly put away their books and slipped out of the library, drawing more glares from the librarian, thinking they were hoodlum truants. What kind of truants that hang out in a library she wasn't sure, but still. Scott shrugged and mouthed 'Field trip' to her, placating her somewhat.


	6. Curiouser and Curiouser

Should be picking up soon, fearless reader. Thanks for your patience and understanding.  
  
Reminder, I own none of this but the story itself, the chars are all belonging to someone else.  
  
=========================================================================================  
  
Rogue sat next to Remy in the back of the SUV that Jean was driving, picking at her nails idly. Remy laid his hands over hers, stopping her from drawing blood, "Cherie, you don't want to be hurting yourself."  
  
She looked at him oddly, then down at her hands, "It's nice." It was spoken so quietly that Remy had to strain to hear, clearly meaning his hands on hers.  
  
He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Yes, I've been wanting to do it for a long time." He smirked just a little then continued, tightening his hold on her hand, "How are you doing? I know this is a big change for you. Maybe even bigger than it is for the ex-furry thing."   
  
"I don't know." She looked out the window, "I like it. I am not sure what to do next. Everyone is looking for a way to make things go back to the way they were, but....I'm not sure I want to. I'm normal and I can't even enjoy it because everyone is racing around to turn me back into a freak."   
  
Remy didn't have much to say about that, just slipped his arm around her shoulders and had her rest her head on him. From the rearview mirror, Scott furrowed his brow and gave a disapproving glare but said nothing.  
  
==========================================================================================  
  
Kurt, in a car with Piotr, Wanda, and Pyro, was experiencing many of the same feelings as Rogue. He looked out the window, not having anyone to confide in really. He sighed, part of him was so happy to be normal, yet the other half, well, they had gotten used to his blue fuzzy self.   
  
"Hey fuzzball." His eyes swung over to Wanda, still unnerved by her very different appearance. "Don't look like we just killed your dog. I know it is frustrating to be stuck like this but there's nothing we can do."   
  
"I know." He paused, frowning, "You know, you look good as a blonde. OW!!" She whacked his arm angrily at that comment, he grinning back at her. "It's just so weird. The world is going on, just like it was before. Perhaps this is how it should have been?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Now she frowned, listening as they drove.  
  
"Well, there's no more war between humans and mutants. The world is just like it was with us, except more peaceful."   
  
"Do you really believe that? That the world would be better off without mutants?"  
  
Kurt shrugged, "Maybe. And what's with you sounding all hopeful? You're supposed to be the dark brooding type!"  
  
Wanda glowered again, "It's the damn hair I think." She called to Piotr who was driving, "Can we stop by a drug store and get some dye?" Everyone just laughed at her and she crossed her arms sullenly and sat back.  
  
==========================================================================================  
  
Kitty, Lance and Todd made the last of the caravan trying to find Logan. Both Lance and Kitty were very distraught about the loss of abilities. Todd was less than disappointed, as he kinda liked being a hunk. Well, maybe not a hunk, but not a Toad. Maybe Wanda would give him a chance now.   
  
He plotted how he would win her over until she no longer cared what he looked like when the car pulled to a stop. He looked out, seeing all the others get out of the cars, talking amongst themselves. "A retirement village? What the hell are we doing here?"   
  
Kitty frowned, "Like, Mr. Logan was older than us." Worry tinged her voice and she followed the group into the home. Scott took charge as he led them to the receptionist's desk.  
  
"Hello, may I help you?" The nurse looked at the fairly eclectic group that approached.  
  
"Yes, we're here to see Logan Howlett." He kept his voice even and confident.  
  
"Oh, how lovely. He never has visitors. Are you family?" She gave Scott a friendly smile.  
  
"No. Uh. We're doing this as a part of a school project. Service project." The rest of them eagerly nodded.  
  
The nurse frowned just a little, concerned. "Do you know much about Mr. Howlett? I just don't want to see you scared, sometimes patients in the final stages of Alzheimers can be disturbing."  
  
Scott and the others were stunned, but he tried to recover, "Yes. Uh. We've been told. We're ok. Right?" He looked back at them to make sure they would agree so they could get to his room and away from this nurse.  
  
"Alright then. Here, sign in, take a pass and then you'll find his room down through this hallway and then take a right, the third door on your left is his." They all dutifully signed in and stuck the paper nametags on their shirts. They kept together in a tight group as they moved through the home and finally arrived at the specified door.  
  
Jean looked at Scott, "Should we knock?" He shrugged, knocking lightly then sticking his head in. He gasped in shock, holding onto Jean's arm for support when he saw Logan. The others crowded by him to see what had upset him and Jean closed the door prudently behind them.   
  
"Oh mah God. That's just horrible." Rogue gasped as she saw the withered old man laying on the bed in front of her.  
  
"Mr. Logan!" Kitty cried at the same time, going to his side.   
  
A groan escaped from the living mummy on the bed. "Half-pint?" The kids crowded eagerly around the bed, while Jean tried to assess what exactly was wrong and what they were doing to him.  
  
"How do you feel Logan? We're trying to fix this." Jean's voice was filled with worry.   
  
"I feel like I look. Half-dead." Logan croaked painfully. "Remind me to never get old next time."  
  
Scott laid a hand on his shoulder. "We won't. And we're trying to fix things now."  
  
"Faster kid." Despite his difficulty, it was easy to tell that he was the same Wolverine in there.   
  
Rogue couldn't help but smile at that, then she glanced over to Kitty and frowned. She was looking pretty disoriented and almost ill. "Are you alright Kitty?" A few heads turned to look at her.  
  
She shrugged uneasily, "I just get creeped out by old people. Can we go back to school now? I've got a test in physics after lunch." Everyone looked at her dumbfounded and she got defensive. "What? Did no one else study? Like, you can't cheat off my test!"   
  
Lance put an arm on her shoulder, concerned, "Kitty, getting our powers back is more important than a stupid physics test."  
  
She looked at Lance blankly, "What powers?" 


	7. A Parting of the Minds

==================================  
  
Everyone stared at Kitty and she shifted uneasily, "Like, what is going on?" She tugged at Lance a little nervously. "You guys are totally freaking me out now.  
  
Scott and Jean exchanged glances, then Scott finally found his voice. "Uh. Sorry Kitty. Lance? You want to take her back to school?"   
  
He nodded and moved towards the door, "I'll take care of her." His face showed his concern though, "Come on Kitty, we have to book it if you want to be back in time."  
  
She followed him out, casting a confused look back to the others. Once she was out of the room, Kurt half-yelled, "What the hell was that?"   
  
Jean pursed her lips, "I don't know for sure, but it kind of seems like she reverted back to the Kitty that belongs in this world. And if that's the case, it's just a matter of time before we do so as well!"  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Mystique sat in her jail cell in shock looking over the papers she had been given by her lawyer. She wasn't just stuck in a random person's form, she was stuck in herself! But how was that possible? It had become very apparent that something incredibly strange was going on.   
  
She seemed to be stuck in a world without mutants. She had no idea how this had happened, or that she wasn't alone in it. She sat on her bunk, making plans for escape from the cell and this world.   
  
She figured there were a couple of ways this could have happened, she is in some sort of paralell universe, or someone had changed something in the past. Mystique thought of the last memories she had prior to waking up in this world, that of taking Rogue from the graduation, intending to take her to Apocalypse.  
  
Of course, Apocalypse. The key was to figure out whether he had done this, or the X brats had done it to stop her and Rogue from completing their mission. She may not be able to shift, but she still can move better than most and this was not a high security prison. And she had an idea of how to maybe fix this, if only should get out of this stupid cage.  
  
She watched as the guard walked by, sizing her up, trying to figure her best hopes for escape.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
They stayed at the nursing home with Logan, the medications they gave him for the other Logan's ailments fogging his mind, waiting for Lance to return. After over an hour had passed, Scott grimly said, "I don't think he's coming back. I'm nervous about staying here any longer. Let's return to the boarding house." He looked down to Logan, "I promise, we'll be back soon to help." In his mind though, he thought that even if they weren't, soon enough he wouldn't even remember the other life.  
  
The ride back in both remaining cars was silent as they considered what was going on. When they were all sitting in a circle again, Rogue was the first to voice her concerns, her voice leant strength from Remy's holding her hand. "Alright. So, we're in this weird world and we're the only ones who remember it's wrong and we're starting to forget too, right?" A few nods from the others. "So, why exactly are we trying to get back? Last I remembered, the world hated us. Why should we run back to them? The world seems to be doing pretty ok without us."  
  
"That's not even an option Rogue!" Scott shot quickly, surprised she would ask.  
  
"Why not? There's no war here over mutants, things seem to be surviving fine without us, why should we be running back to being freaks?" Kurt now picked up Rogue's thread, his voice showing the emotion he felt. "You and Jean, you had it easy. You still will be beautiful and perfect no matter what world you are in, but we don't have that luxury."  
  
Now Scott started to look a bit angry, "Just because it's easier for us to fit in doesn't mean that our lives are easy! Do you think I like not having control of my powers? That I wouldn't prefer to be able to lose the glasses?"  
  
"But your glasses are nothing compared to what some of us go through! You can still be a normal person with an eye condition! Some of us have no hope for a normal life back where we came from. Don't even try and compare your problem to ours!" Rogue's voice was very close to yelling now and Remy reached over and rubbed her shoulder lightly.  
  
"Calm down cherie, we can talk this out without killing each other." Scott looked annoyed as Remy seemed successful in calming Rogue down. She took a deep breath and leaned against Remy, still insatiable for the feeling of skin against her own.  
  
"Remy's right, we need to talk about this logically. We don't belong here, which is the biggest reason for trying to get back." Jean seemed tired as she spoke.  
  
"But apparently if we stick around long enough, we will belong here." Kurt added helpfully.  
  
Scott looked at the others in the group in frustration, seeing mostly apathy on their faces. "Logan will die if we don't do anything. Isn't that enough motivation for you?"   
  
Rogue looked down at her hands, avoiding Scott's gaze. She really had no desire to go back, she wanted to stay here with Remy. What did she care about powers, she could touch people.   
  
There was a groan and a retching noise from where Pyro was, drawing everyone's eyes to him. He looked blankly back at everyone, seeming confused. "What's going on? What are we doing here? Is this a planning meeting for the Haunted House?"  
  
Jean's voice was tired as she nodded, "Yes, it was, but we're done, if you need to go."  
  
"I'm sorry, I just totally spaced out for a while, didn't I? Is there something I should be signing up for?"  
  
"No, we'll talk to you later John." Jean sighed and John walked out, rubbing his head.  
  
Scott's face hardened and he stood up, "I don't care whether you want to come back with me or not. I'm not going to wait to lose my memory of being a mutant. Being a mutant might not be easy but it is important. It's a more complicated world, but it is better for having mutants there. It's not right to just wipe out our existence because we are complicated. If you want to go with me, then come. If you want to wait to fade away and lose everything you've built with the X-Men, then you can do it without me." He turned on his heel and walked out of the boardinghouse remains, without looking back.   
  
Jean, Wanda and somewhat surprisingly Todd, stood up and followed him, leaving Rogue, Remy, Kurt and Collosus behind. The remaining former mutants looked to Rogue, their de facto leader. She looked uneasy for a moment then shrugged, "Alright, if that's the way it's going to be, I guess we just go back to living our lives here." 


	8. Regrouping

Ok. I've been feeling incredible guilt regarding this story. 1) it's the first fanfic I ever started. I feel like I should finish it. 2) Every once in a while, I'll get a review asking if I'm ever going to update or they are sad it's abandoned. 3) some of the x-men evo people who read this were kind enough to read the stories that I've been writing for another genre so I am feeling very obligated to try and keep working on this ;)

Thanks for your patience. I can't see evo anywhere anymore, so it's hard for me to get inspired.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Remy walked Rogue out of the boarding house, intending on heading back to school with her. "You ok, cher? Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

She shrugged, "I don't know what I want. But I know I have more of a chance at a life here than I did back there."

Remy nodded in response, taking her hand and walking in silence. They arrived at the school and he dropped her hand, "Go on cher."

She frowned, "Where are you going?" He wouldn't look at her and her frown deepened, "Are you going to find Scott and Jean?"

"Non. Just before we commit to this world, I want to find out more about it." She nodded to him, brow furrowed in thought.

"Alright. Can you meet me back for lunch?"

He smiled, kissing her lightly, "Wouldn't miss it cher."

Rogue watched him walk away with a very un-Rogueish grin on her face. She had always dreamed about her life being this simple, and all it was costing her was her old life. 'And Logan's life,' her mind whispered. She shook the thought from her head, but she couldn't regain her earlier happiness over normalcy. 'Logan would want me to have a normal life,' she thought to herself. That made her feel marginally better. She went to her classes, counting down the minutes until lunch when she could see Remy again.

O o o o o o o o o o O

AN: Yeah, it's a new chapter and it's short. But as I was writing, a few little sparks came to me. I want to give them some time to realize themselves, while still pushing myself towards updating. But I could be on a roll again soon touch wood 


	9. Something in the Wind

Wow, reviews :D What lovely motivation.....:) 

I do feel the need to address my most recent review, mainly 'cause well, I feel like it!

1. I'm talking about Colossus, not Quicksilver.  
2. See #1 3. See #1 (and I believe they are some sort of Romany, not Hispanic, but I'm no expert)  
4. There are quite a few people who aren't here. There's a reason. You just don't know it :P 4. Good point. But as far as I know, the evo cartoons never really addressed how her hair was white. The movie did; but the movie and the cartoons really are different. So...Uh. Call it creative license, oversight, whatever ;)

And please note my updates in general will be much slower. I'm back in school (eek!) and sorry folks, grad school takes precedence over fanfic, imagine that. :)

O o o o o o o o o o O

Rogue walked into the high school, feeling happy for the first time in school for as long as she could remember. The only sand in the Vaseline was that she had absolutely no clue what classes she should be going to. She figured it didn't make a huge difference; she skipped a fair amount before. She'd find out eventually.

She went to the courtyard in the middle of the school. 'Donated by the class of 1970' a plaque proclaimed proudly. She leaned back onto her elbows, enjoying the feeling of the sun hitting her.

"Marie!" Rogue's head suddenly snapped to attention; someone was calling her. She heard an exasperated sigh and then another yell, "Yes you, Marie! What are you doing? We're going to be late!"

She got up, figuring this girl seemed to know her and where she should be. Marie gave the other girl an appraising look; she was shorter than Marie, wearing a similar quasi-goth style of clothing. "I'm coming," she drawled.

The other girl rolled her eyes and grabbed her arm, dragging her through the halls. "You know Treckert has it in for us," she hissed as they came to a doorway and she pushed Marie in.

Marie stumbled through, a bemused look on her face. Just the whole act of being able to be dragged around was fairly pleasant. A severe looking older woman turned to the girls, speaking sharply, "I see you and Tonya finally decided to join us. Detention tomorrow."

The girl whose name was apparently Tonya groaned, slinking to her seat as the class snickered. Marie followed, wondering which class this was, she didn't recognize the teacher.

"Bien. Vamos a empezar ahora, sí todos estén aquí." She gave a pointed look to Marie and Tonya; Tonya blushed, Marie looked blank. A freaking Spanish class. Man, fate was apparently not on her side that day.

"¿Marie, tienes la tarea de anoche? ¿Dime, cuál fiesta celebran los españoles doce días después de Navidad?" The teacher said her name, but she had no clue what the woman had said.

She opened her mouth, closing it again when she realized there was no way she could pull this off without getting in more trouble. She opened her mouth again to admit that she had no clue, when she spotted Barbie-Wanda in the doorway. Saved by the doll! The teacher's eyes followed Marie's to the doorway, seeing the blonde cheerleader. "May I help you?" Marie noticed with annoyance that the teacher's voice was much kinder to Wanda than her. Not fair that the teachers favored the popular kids too.

"The office needs to see Marie." Marie suppressed a laugh; Wanda was making an attempt to make her voice sound like she thought it should, but just made her sound like she was trying to do a chipmunk impression.

The class erupted with choruses of 'oooo's and 'somebody's in trouble'. "Now what have you done, Marie," the teacher scolded. Marie looked indignant; she hadn't done anything, at least to her knowledge. "Hurry on, don't keep the principal waiting."

More snickers from her classmates and Marie looked reluctantly back at Wanda, who shot her a deathly glare. "Come on Rogue," Wanda hissed under her breath. Marie looked more defiant at the use of her code name, but got up anyway and followed Wanda out of the classroom.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Marie demanded as soon as they were out of earshot of the classroom. "I already told you, I don't want to go back!"

"You have to Rogue." Wanda's voice had reverted to its normal deep and rough tone. "I can't take this much longer. Rogue, I have cheerleading practice after school." She emphasized 'cheerleading' heavily, looking at Rogue with something like desperation.

Marie shook her head, "I'm just Marie now. And you can do it. Soon enough you'll never even know that it was any other way."

Wanda gave her a dark look, "That's what I'm afraid of. Rogue-...Marie," she corrected quickly, "I really can't do this. I was proud of being a mutant. I can't lose that. Not forever." Her tone was begging and Marie felt distinctly uneasy, seeing how upset Wanda was.

"I can't go back to never being able to touch anyone. I'd rather die. You don't know what it is like." Marie was almost apologetic in tone as she continued, "You and the others can go back."

"Others? What others?" Wanda laughed harshly. "Jean and I are the only ones left. And I don't know why, but I think you are the key to this."

"I'm sorry Wanda, but I can't help you." She pulled away from Wanda, trying to be gentle, "You'll fit in here, just give it time."

"Don't you get it Rogue? I don't want to fit in here! I don't want to lose everything that I am! I would rather die than to lose it all. To live a pathetic life never even knowing I once had the potential for more, never knowing what all I had lost, how can you live with yourself, giving that all up??" Wanda's fury boiled over and Marie recoiled away from her, used to the havoc that Wanda could wreak when upset.

But nothing happened; Wanda was impotent in her fury, denied her mutant powers to cause chaos. The bell rang to signal the change in classes. Marie shook her head as students began streaming out of the nearby classrooms. "I'm sorry, Wanda. I can't help you. You'll feel better soon." With that, she turned away from Wanda and lost herself in the sea of students, just following the current.

O o o o o o o O

Mystique was impatient; she hated being trapped in a cell and something inside of her told her that she needed to move quickly if she would have any hopes of correcting the situation. She started planning for an escape, nothing too complicated - she learned long ago that simple plans were often more effective than convoluted ones. She had an idea of how to fix things, she just needed to find the X-Brats to get it done.

Later in the day when she was working in the laundry, she saw an opportunity; they hired out contractors for the dry cleaning, apparently working with dry cleaning solution was considered 'cruel and unusual punishment'. She couldn't help smirking at the thought, edging her way over to where a man and two women were chatting near the bathrooms. The gods of prison breakouts were on her side and one of the women went into the bathroom. She followed quickly, projecting her best non-chalant facade.

Inside the bathroom, she quickly determined which booth the other woman was in. She pretended to use the bathroom and waited for the other woman to exit. When she heard the creak of the door swinging open, she slipped out of her own stall, quickly grabbing the woman by the neck and taking her by surprise. A quick blow to the head knocked the woman unconscious and in a flash, her clothing was off and replaced with prison garb. She took a moment to look and see if the other contractors were still outside the bathroom; they weren't.

Again, projecting nothing but calm and boredom, Mystique walked confidently towards the van. She didn't attempt to steal it; just got into the back unnoticed and tried to make herself look busy while still hiding her face. It wasn't long before her 'co-workers' came by. The man yelled into the back "You lose something Karen?"

Mystique remembered the woman's voice, thankful for the clothing that was helping to muffle and thereby disguise the change in tone that she wouldn't be able to help. "Yeah, I thought I saw a ring drop into this pile." There was silence, "A diamond ring," she added, hoping that would be construed as a valid reason.

She heard a man and woman laughing behind her. "Today must be your lucky day, Karen. You gonna ride in the back then?" She grunted in agreement and the van closed its doors and she pulled her head out of the laundry, breathing heavily. She snorted in disgust; this was a pathetic excuse for a prison, the security was bordering on criminally lax. She must have been a failure as a criminal to be placed in such a lackluster facility. But it served her purposes for now and she couldn't help the smirk as the van pulled out of the prison; it had all been too easy.

O o o o o o o o o O

Wanda was pacing around Jean in the library. Jean looked up with annoyance, "You know, you aren't helping anything. You could do something useful, like read or something."

Wanda curled her lip and glared at Jean, "You've been through all these books already. We don't even know what we're looking for!"

Sighing and rubbing her temple, Jean spoke with exhaustion, "You're right. We have to figure something else out." She gave Wanda an appraising look, "You were nice when you talked to Rogue, right?"

"Of course I was nice!" Wanda growled. "She wants her little life with Gambit," she spat with disgust.

"Does she realize that Gambit is going to revert as well?" asked Jean dubiously.

Wanda nodded, pushing herself off the wall. "Come on Red," she muttered. "I need something to eat for now at least." Jean rolled her eyes but followed the perky blonde.

O o o o o o o o o o O

Mystique was looking through the back windows in the van, trying to find the right spot to ditch her ride. Suddenly she saw Jean Grey walking with a blonde teen who bore a striking resemblance to...no, that couldn't be Wanda, could it? When the van rolled to a stop at the light, Mystique opened the door, pushing it out and running as soon as her feet hit the ground. "Jean!"

Jean and Wanda turned immediately hearing that voice; they knew who it was, even without knowing what she looked like. They exchanged glances to ensure the other heard it and then Wanda called out, "Mystique?" She scanned the streets, trying to figure out who Mystique was disguised at. She saw a woman jogging towards them and assumed that was Mystique.

Striding quickly to meet Mystique, Jean gave her the once over, "Not a good look for you. What's going on?" She didn't waste any time, just cutting straight to the point.

Mystique's eyes went to Wanda's new form, mirth in her eyes. Wanda held up a hand to stop her before she could say anything, "Don't start. I will make your life hell once our powers are back if you say a single word." Her eyes narrowed dangerously and Mystique couldn't help but laugh; at least some things hadn't changed.

The smirk still on her face, Mystique got straight to business, "We need a safe house. I think I may have some ideas about what is happening, but it would not be good for me to be seen in public."

"Mystique! What did you do?" Jean looked around nervously.

Her voice was impatient as she began to move towards the parking lot, "Well, I certainly couldn't find you in jail, now could I? Where is your car, we should keep moving." Jean pointed to the red SUV and suddenly Mystique stopped, "Where's Rogue? Is she in there?"

"Uh...No." Jean looked uncomfortable, "She doesn't want to go back."

"What? She doesn't want to? Well, we will just have to tell her otherwise." Mystique's voice was firm and controlled.

"We've tried, believe me," Wanda said with annoyance. "She's stubborn. She just wants to wait and re-assimilate here."

Mystique scoffed, "That's impossible, she'll come crawling back. You can't live with the knowledge she has and let it go to waste."

Jean sighed, realizing that Mystique didn't know about people 'fading' to revert to their selves that belong in this continuity. "Well, since the rest of them forgot-"

"Who else? Who else from our world is here?" Mystique demanded.

"Well, Pyro, Colossus, Kitty, Avalanche, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Toad, Wolverine and Gambit." Jean neatly ticked off the people on her fingers.

Mystique looked around, "Where are they now?"

Now it was Jean's turn to look annoyed, "I was trying to tell you. After varying amounts of time, everyone started forgetting that we don't belong here."

"Rogue as well," Mystique frowned as she spoke.

Heaving a sigh, Jean continued, "No, she still remembers at last count. She doesn't want to and is waiting to forget."

Mystique started muttering to herself, "I had not anticipated this. This could change everything." She looked at Jean and snapped, "Well, don't just stand there, we need to go someplace safe so I can tell you what I think is going on and how we will fix it. And we need Rogue to go along with it."

"Good luck," Wanda grumbled under her breath, getting into the car and realizing morosely that she still was not going to get her lunch.


	10. The ChaCha

A/N: I keep my promises, slowly but surely. I am going to finish this fic demmit. It's the whole reason I started writing fanfic in the first place. I can't promise greatness, but I can aspire to completeness :) As always, any and all feedback is appreciated. 

O o o o o o o o o o o O

Jean Grey pulled up to the abandoned Brotherhood boarding house that had become their unofficial headquarters. As soon as the engine was off, she turned around to face Mystique, and demanded, "What do you know?"

Mystique arched an eyebrow with amusement, "Now now, X-Brat. A little honey works much better with the flies." She cut off any further retorts from Jean with a quick hand gesture. "I don't know anything for sure, but I have suspicions." The two younger women looked at her expectantly and she continued, "It all has to do with Apocalypse and the two of you."

"Keep going," growled Wanda, getting more impatient in this skin with every passing moment.

"The last thing you remember was me taking Rogue, correct?" They both nodded affirmatively. "Did either one of you try and stop me?" She looked at both of them and knew the answer was yes instantly. "I think that Wanda's unpredictable hex power, combined with Jean's unpredictable power level caused a small ripple to be formed."

Jean's brow furrowed, "Ripple? How do you mean?"

Mystique sighed at the apparent stupidity of all involved. "I believe your precious Professor X has made a grave error and the powers the two of you hit Rogue with, combining at the same time, make us the only ones aware of the mistake."

Wanda glared at Mystique, "Can you start just speaking clearly? Because I've pretty much had the worst day of my life and I want to get back to normal."

"But my dear," Mystique chuckled, "This is normal."

"NO! It isn't. And I still don't understand a single word you've said about it." Wanda's fury was mounting with each cryptic answer.

Mystique sighed and explained patiently, "You X-Brats had a member who had a device for time travel, did he not?"

Now Jean looked confused, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I suspect that when Rogue and I are successful in ressurrecting Apocalypse, Professor X tried to take drastic measures, not thinking of the consequences." Wanda still looked confused and angry, while a lightbulb was going on in Jean's head.

"You think X-Men went back in time and changed something? And that's why this happened?"

Mystique nodded to Jean's assessment. "That is my guess. But I have long suspected that Apocalypse is actually the founder of the mutant race. If he is not able to pass his genetic material, it effectively ended the attempt at evolution."

"So all this is because they got rid of Apocalypse?" Wanda asked incredulously.

"No, it's because they did it in the past, altering the timeline. When the world was changed to this," Mystique motioned to the surroundings with her hand, "I suspect you three caused the ripple."

Jean nodded in agreement, "Everyone who was there was touching one of us." She paused though, frowning, "Except Logan."

Mystique perked up, "The Wolverine remembers as well? How unusual. Perhaps it is part of his unique capabilities. Or perhaps there are more people who remember but think it is only a dream. I suspect that the three focal points will be the last to forget."

"Alright, so we have this theory, now what good does it do us?" Wanda complained in a surly manner. "How do we fix it?"

Mystique pursed her lips, "That I am not as sure of. We may not be able to. We would have to stop the X-Men from changing the past."

"How can we do that, if it's already happened?" Jean said with frustration. "We don't have a time machine."

Mystique frowned, "That is the issue. Did you see the device that your classmate had made that could time travel?"

Jean shrugged uneasily, "Even if I had, I doubt I'd be able to recreate it."

"I don't know then. You have what we have to do, now we just have to find a way to do it." Mystique spoke with confidence that was not shared by Wanda and Jean. They were beginning to lose hope in returning to their previous lives.

O o o o o o o o o o o o O

Marie was finishing a very frustrating day at school; she hadn't known what was going on in any of her classes, hell she hadn't known which classes she was taking either. Gathering all her things to finally leave, she felt exhausted. It was harder than she expected, getting used to everyone touching her. She felt confident though with time, she would forget that her life ever was any different.

As she walked down the sidewalk, trying to decide what to do next, Marie spotted Remy walking by, looking a little confused. She ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck, "Gam-I mean, Remy. You came back."

Remy pushed her away with a grin, "M'excuser, cherie. You are cute, but I think that you are too young for me, non?" He gave her an appraising look, "Though if you were eighteen, I would say you are perfect." He gave her a lewd grin.

Marie took a couple of steps back, nodding as she realized he had adjusted to the time period. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else?"

"Someone else, cherie?" His eyes twinkled in amusement, "Someone who share my name and my face?"

She blushed, "I'm sorry. It's...I'm just sorry." On a whim, she stuck out her hand, "I'm Marie."

He kissed her hand in a chivalrous fashion, "Enchante, Marie." He gave her a wink. "But I must go. There is a lady is waiting, and she is less likely to get Remy thrown in jail." He chuckled and kissed her hand again and then walked off.

Marie stood there, deflated. She knew it would happen. Remy was bound to forget too, and maybe in a few years, they'd meet up again. She couldn't help the wistful tug at her heart though, watching him walk away to some other woman's attention.

O o o o o o o o o o o o O

"What makes you think there's a device we can find?" Jean asked with annoyance.

Mystique shot her a dirty look, "I don't know. It's better than just waiting. I'd rather be at least attempting to right the world, than just sitting by idly."

"Funny, isn't that what you usually do?" Jean grumbled quietly.

"No, that is not what I do, you foolish child. Just because I do not agree with your plans for the future does not mean I do not have some of my own." Mystique shot back, looking over some books that Wanda had retrieved from the library.

"Stop it" Wanda snapped, "I have a big enough headache right now." She continued flipping through pages of Egyptian history. "Are we sure that Apocalypse was around in ancient Egypt?"

"We're not sure of anything, that's why it's considered grasping at straws," Mystique stated dryly. "Just keep looking."

O o o o o o o o o o o o O

Marie wasn't sure whether it was out of guilt or compassion that she returned to the nursing home where Logan was, trapped in his dying body. He looked even worse than when she had seen him before, if that was even possible. She sat next to him, grasping his hand as his pained eyes turned toward her.

"Rogue." It was barely a whisper, but it brought tears to Marie's eyes. "What happened to me?"

"I'm here Logan, Wolverine." She saw gratitude in his eyes as she said his code name. "We don't know exactly. But...We're all normal now."

He squeezed her hand, with barely any strength. "I'm happy for you, runt." He had to take breaks in his sentance to breathe, making his speech laborious and strained.

Tears welled in her eyes, "But you..." She trailed off, feeling physical pain in her chest to see Logan dying in front of her.

"I'm...Too old..." He gasped with more difficulty. Nurses came back over to check on him, hearing his increased work of breathing.

She was sobbing as a nurse gently asked her to leave, it was just too much for the old man to be talking right now. Marie walked forlornly out of the home, a hole in her chest as she sobbed to herself. Logan was dying and it was her fault. Why hadn't she forgotten yet?

O o o o o o o o o o o o O

Raven suddenly looked up from the book she was reading, her eyes scanning the area suspiciously. She set the book down, noting the other two girls in the room with her seemed deeply engrossed. She crept towards the nearest door and when the redhead finally looked up and saw her and yelled, "Mystique!" Raven Darkholme took off running.

Jean put her head in her hands. "Great. We've lost Mystique. As much as I don't like her, she's actually had some decent ideas."

Wanda wasn't paying much attention to Jean's words. "Hey, tell me again what that thing looked like? That thing that trapped your friend?"

"I don't know. It was weird and metal." She didn't really think that any of this was realistic.

Wanda motioned for Jean to look at her book, excitement rising in her voice. "Something like this?"

Jean got up and looked at the picture that Wanda was gesturing to, seeing the caption, 'Mystery of the Hemunupt Pyramid'. It was covered in rust and she couldn't imagine that it still functioned, but it did look something like what Forge would create. "Maybe. But it's worthless."

"No!" Wanda said forcefully. "If nothing else, maybe we can figure out what he did and fix it." It was a long shot, but Wanda clung to it tightly; she had to have something to give her hope that she would escape this nightmare.


	11. Fade Into You

AN: Shorter chap, sorry about that, but things are coming to a head and there shouldn't be too many more chapters to go. I said I was going to finish this story and by god, I am!

Warning: This chapter features char death/suicide and if you are at all sensitive to the subject, please feel free to skip.

Copyright disclaimer, yadda yadda, I don't own any of this crap.

O o o o o o o O

"How's the headache?" Jean was trying to be friendly to the former mutant in the car with her.

"Terrible," Wanda grumbled in reply. She was leaning her head back against the headrest of Jean's SUV. They were on their way to New York City, to the Museum of Natural History, where the device was currently being held.

Jean glanced over at the blonde girl, concerned. "Try to get some sleep, we're going to be driving for a while anyway."

Wanda nodded and closed her eyes, letting the sounds and gentle motion of the car on the freeway lull her to sleep.

O o o o o o o o o O

Wanda woke up, feeling disoriented. "Are we there yet?" she mumbled to Jean Grey.

"Yes, I'm so sorry! We're going to be dead meat if we don't haul ass to practice." Jean spoke hurriedly as she reached in the back of the car for a bag.

"What?" Wanda frowned and looked around, realizing with a sinking sensation that they were back at school.

Jean laughed lightly, "I'm not sure what possessed me to go on a road trip before cheerleading practice. Go get your stuff, I'll tell Tiffany you'll be right behind me." And with that, Jean sprinted off towards the gym at school.

Wanda was about ready to cry. "Fuck."

O o o o o o o o o o o O

Marie loitered outside the nursing home for a while, lacking the strength to go back in and see if Logan was ok, or if he had succumbed to the aging process that finally had caught up with him. When she didn't see an ambulance or hearse pulling up, she decided that maybe the best thing was to go on a walk and try and clear her mind.

The guilt was weighing on her more and more heavily with every passing moment. She wasn't sure where she would go, but ended up heading back towards the school. Maybe she could check in on Jean and Wanda.

The ambulance she had been waiting to arrive at the nursing home was instead at the school, along with a large collection of students, all whispering and looking shocked.

Marie went up to a cluster on the edge of the crowd, "What happened?"

One of the stoner dudes she approached answered with a guffaw, "Ultimate irony man. A _cheerleader_ committed suicide!" He and his friends snickered at the thought.

But the former mutant Marie was absolutely horrified. "How can you laugh at something like that?" She pushed past the group and moved further in, wanting to check and see if Jean was alright. They may not be friends in this world, but she was still a teammate. '_Well, she _was_ a teammate,_' Marie thought with guilt.

Jean was up by the ambulance, with several uniformed men around her. Some were EMTs, checking on her and covering her with a blanket, others were police officers asking her questions. Marie froze when she heard Jean speak.

"I just can't believe Wanda would do something like this! This is crazy!" Jean cried in between sobs.

Marie's expression became even more stricken and her stomach dropped to her knees. Wanda killed herself? This was getting out of hand!

One of the officers noted Marie's expression and walked over to her. "Did you know Wanda, Miss?"

Marie quickly thought of a lie – there was no way anyone would buy that they were friends. "I was tutoring her in French." She could at least speak French if pressed. "What happened?" Tears slipped from her eyes, looking to the officer and hoping against hope that whatever he says, it will not lay blame at her feet.

The cop put a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly. "Did you talk to her recently? Was there anything bothering her that you knew of?" Marie shook her head mutely, not able to tell the truth on that issue.

"The only message she left was, 'I will not fade away'. Does that mean anything to you?" He watched Marie's expression carefully, looking for signs of recognition.

Marie was saved by the gym doors opening and a stretcher being wheeled out, a body hidden under the white sheet. She promptly threw up on the shoes of the police officer. The cop sighed and motioned for an EMT to come over and help her.

"I don't need anything. I just…She is … under there." Marie stammered, hoping to cover the fact that she knew exactly what Wanda's message meant and why she was responsible for the death.

The officer nodded sympathetically, putting his hand on her shoulder again. "Do you need a ride home?" She shook her head, giving him her name and address before backing away and fleeing the scene.

Too many people had died, really died. She needed to make this right. Now she just had to figure out how.


End file.
